Hilsa trader's brutality on poor fishermen
A hilsa trader brutally tortured two fishermen siblings in Kuakata area of Kalapara upazila under the district for their 'failure' to return earnest money.
The alleged perpetrator is Kuddus Mridha, a warehouse owner at Alipur fish landing station, while the victims are Abu Taleb, 26, and his brother Helal, 20, of Khalgora fishermen's village near Kuakata.
On Tuesday noon, Kuddus came to Khalgora fishermen village and demanded return of the earnest money earlier given to the two brothers, locals said.
There Kuddus and his men physically tortured Taleb and Helal, brought the two brothers to Kuddus' warehouse, tightened them with rope and tortured them again for an hour.
Informed, Uttam Kumer, sub-inspector of Mohipur Police Station, rushed to the spot and rescued Taleb and Helal from the spot around 2:00pm on Tuesday.
They received treatment at Kuakata Hospital.
Kuddus Mridha said, "Abu Taleb, Helal and two other fishermen received Tk 1.50 lakh from me as earnest money in 2013 on condition of selling all their fishes to my warehouse. But after two years, the two brothers stopped giving fish to me. And so, my men interrogated them."
Md Monir Hossain, elder brother of Abu Taleb and Helal, said, "My two brothers took Tk 40,000 as earnest money from Kuddus Mridha and Tk 32,000 of it was already paid off."
They were scheduled to pay rest Tk 8,000 in next month but Kuddus with his men attacked my brothers before the fixed date, he said.
"Kuddus and his men brutally tortured my sons and also threatened them to harass by filling a false case," Moyna Begum, mother of Abu Taleb and Helal, said with tears.
Abdur Rahim Khan, president of Kuakata fish warehouse owners association, said it is inhuman that Kuddus Mridha physically tortured fishermen.
"Abu Taleb filed a case with Mohipur Police Station on Tuesday night in this regard. We are taking lawful step after proper investigation," said Maksudur Rahman, officer in charge of the police station.
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